This week (Week 3), we welcomed back our students to the school grounds and classrooms for normal face-to-face teaching and learning. It was great seeing all of our students walk onto school grounds. It was obvious by the smiles on their faces that they had missed the social interaction available by attending school. It is a credit to you all for the way in which your children have conducted themselves over the Remote Learning period and to then return to school with positive attitudes ready for business as usual. The hand sanitising is going well and we will continue this process until told otherwise by health authorities. We have enjoyed having the new fence installed and the subsequent improved security and safety it provides. There are also new signs around our school, directing visitors to attend the office.

We will be welcoming back Mrs Nicole Miller from maternity leave in Week 5. Mrs Miller will be teaching Year 5 for 2 days a week until the end of term and then she will be supporting the school in other capacities. We will also be welcoming back Mrs Georgia Hughes from maternity leave in Week 7. Mrs Hughes will be covering Library classes on a Tuesday from Weeks 7-10 and she will then move into another role in Term 3. I would like to thank Mrs Nina Gaynor for her support in filling various roles across the school as well. I have been contacted about a possible replacement for Mr John Hogan in the Wood/Metal area. I am hoping to have this position filled at the end of Week 5. Miss Jamieson and I have been taking some classes as an interim arrangement. It is difficult to find teachers with this particular skill set, so we appreciate your patience.

Our Annual Improvement Plan Goals for St Anne's are "To increase student engagement in Religious Education and Faith Formation", "To improve student outcomes in Literacy and Numeracy" and "To improve student wellbeing". We look forward to be able to share more information about our accomplishments in these areas over the course of the year.

I will continue to keep all of our families in my thoughts and prayers and I hope that anyone who has been greatly impacted by COVID-19 is able to recover soon.

This year we will be holding a Virtual Information Evening. Monday 1st June, Kindergarten 6:30pm and Year 7 at 7pm. Please register your interest via our Facebook event or through this link. A Zoom link will be emailed to you the day before the event.

We give thanks for the amazing community at St Anne’s. Amidst the overload of statistical data, the sadness experienced around the world and the heartache and uncertainty which has burdened some of our community financially, there is still much to be thankful for.

We are thankful to the special women in our lives who offer us so much support to us and sacrifice of themselves. Guided by Mary who showed us Jesus’ humanity, through the simple gestures of motherhood, she helps us to see that when we say ‘the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us’, that it is within our shared human experience to understand the strength and connection of a mother’s love for her child. Mary revealed Jesus to us through her example of selfless love. We would like to extend a belated Happy Mother’s Day to all of our Mothers, Grandmothers and mother figures. We truly appreciate all that you do.

We are also especially thankful this week, for the students who are back in the school. From the happy noisy students on the playground, to the busy classrooms, eager students and delighted teachers to finally have classes face-to-face again. The most common theme being how lovely it is that we can socialise and interact with each other once again. This is in no small part to the amazing support which we have received from you, the parent community, and the resilience and dedication that you have helped to instil in your children. We are truly grateful for all of your hard work in supporting the staff’s efforts to do our best for the students of St Anne’s.

The secondary students began this week, led through some reflections designed to acknowledge their gratitude and to reflect on how they have and continue to grow through this experience. Their responses were heartwarming.

Together, may we all continue to look for the good in every situation, to rely on each other for support and to focus on what we can control. May we also take time to renew and strengthen our relationship with God, to feel God’s presence and care in our everyday and to praise and thank Him for protecting our community during this uncertain time.

There has been plenty happening on the building site over the last fortnight. Today (Thursday), the gyprock walls are being put together and the frames for the verandah windows are being prepared. The replacement of tiles on the roof above the renovations will go ahead. The new external stairwell is coming together nicely (photos below).

Minor Works

We are still working with the air conditioner company regarding the faulty air conditioner system in the Year 4 classroom. Heating is covered with a gas heater, but we will continue to pursue a positive outcome. Our new fence and signs are up. Thank you to Brent Krause and Tom Murphy from Krause Building for their efforts and the high quality finished product. Next week Mr Haigh will be discussing playground improvements with a company called Kangaroo Courts. Mr Haigh will seek advice on what can be achieved in our playground and then there will be staff and student consultation. The plan is to have this work carried out next year.

Thank you to our School's Community Council for their recent purchase of 2 new Gazebos. They come in wheeled carry bags and are labelled as per the picture below. The Gazebos will come in very hand when events resume.

As students returned to school this week, Year 10 took the time to reflect on the past six weeks. Here are three reflections from Ella, Amelia and Will.

Reflection by Ella van Egmond

I always thought it would never reach Australia, but before we knew it, cases were found. My thoughts then changed to ‘it would never reach Temora,’ we are just a small country town in the middle of no where, nothing reaches us. Before we knew it the virus was surrounding us with cases in Wagga, Leeton and Griffith.

Fear and doubt filled most peoples heads and the aisles in Woolworths and IGA began to run empty. The realisation of how bad this virus was kicked in when we were told that our schooling would be going online.

Within a short week, everyone was schooling from home...it was amazing how quickly we (the students) and the school adapted. I was in Canberra, Isabelle was out at her farm, Abbey and Hannah were just 100m away, yet we were still all receiving the same education. We always talked about how much we hated school but it wasn’t till it was taken away that we realised how much we actually enjoy it.

During this pandemic our household found some crazy ways to keep entertained, especially with Brodie being home. A blue and black box of hair dye, a second piercing and eyelash tint later, we managed to keep entertained. The board games and cards were brought out while the keys gathered dust. Even during such a horrible time it brings people together. The greatest realisation for me was not being able to see my Nan and Pop...I never realised how often I saw them till I wasn’t able to see them at all. Family gatherings were zoom meets and the only way to see our friends was through Facetime.

Six weeks from when it all started, good news came our way. Normality and hope filled our heads as we found out that Week Three Term Two we would be returning back to school. The start of something new. This is our chance to make the world a better place.

2020 a year that’s made history!

Covid-19 Reflection Poem by Amelia Murphy

When I first heard of Coronavirus, I thought it was pretty dumb

Only sick and elderly people could get it, so I could still have my fun.

But then people started dying, and they were locking up the towns

There was no more flying, all the airports were shut down.

We couldn’t go outside, but at least we still had education

Until online schooling started and it felt like true incarceration.

But now there’s flamingos in Albania and Venice waters are crystal clear,

And hope is starting to emerge amid Covid-19 fear.

Toilet paper and hand soap are scarce, but I still have my health,

So all that's left to do is take care of myself.

It was tough but now I’m back at school, which I actually kind of missed,

And though it’s scary at the moment, we’ll soon be living in bliss.

Covid-19 by Will Matthews

December 2019...the first outbreak of the COVID 19. At first I thought it would not be bad. As the Chinese watched the COVID 19 spread for a few weeks, countries around the world were getting new cases, faster than I thought it would spread. As soon as Australia announced the first case, I started to get worried. Handling anxiety and keeping strong during these times were critical. Not just everyone gets anxious when something happens but if you do you need to believe in yourself.

Schools were shut and it was time to test out the online learning. Even though I wanted to sleep in, school was always in the back of my mind so I would get up early and go onto my ‘Google Meets’ for the five periods each day.

Laws were getting stricter. Non-essential travel stopped, apart from shops, medical centres etc. This was put in force with the aim of having less and less Covid 19 patients.

During these times, I always say to myself “be strong, be courageous and don’t try to get caught up in this pandemic.” As the world slowed down to a halt, transport also slowed down. Cargo flights were put into action so medical equipment could be sent to where it was needed. As months past, laws have become much stricter.

I am very lucky to live in a country with very good health professionals that have training for this type of scenario. They are well prepared if anything happens.

Six weeks after school was closed for me, I am finally back at school and enjoying it. It is nice to see my friends whilst trying to keep the social distancing up as much as possible.

I give credit to the teachers and principal for the time they had to try to work out a way for us to keep up our education whilst not at school.

This Term, Infants have been exploring possibilities through Play Based Learning Activities. These activities ranged from experiments ( did you know that if you place warm water and hairspray into a jar and place ice on top of the jar, you can create a cloud?), building bridges to hold the weight of toy cars and creating all kinds of yummy goods and crafts. Each activity had a challenge and Year 2 rose and conquered each challenge they were given. Below are some examples of our Play Based Activities.

In response to the changed learning circumstances in Term 1 and Term 2, Semester 1 2020 reporting processes have been modified to provide parents with specific information about their child’s achievement and progress.

The report covers work completed in both Term 1 and Term 2.

Student achievement will be reported as an A-E grade for the three main core areas: Religious Education, English and Mathematics.

In the other subjects a grade is not possible, therefore, ‘Not assessed’ will be displayed. This means that, although the learning throughout the semester has been rigorous, it is not possible to make an overall judgement about the student’s achievement in relation to the reporting Outcomes or Achievement Standards against the Grade Descriptors.

No comments will be provided on the report.

A new section ‘Engagement with Learning’ has been developed to replace the ‘Personal and Social Capabilities’. The new statements are based on the Australian Curriculum: General capabilities, and target four key areas of learning engagement: Thinking, Communication, Responsibility, Collaboration.

The inclusion of the ‘Engagement with Learning’ statements means that the General Comment section of the report is no longer required; the statements give detailed information on your child’s approach to learning.

Reports for students in Years 7-10

Secondary students will receive a report following the usual process, however, there will be no general comment provided.

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences

We will be holding the conferences in Week 2 of Term 3. This will be a great opportunity to meet with your child's teacher and to discuss their progress. More detailed information will be provided towards the end of this term.